‘Music on the Green’ to help
further Alviti’s dream

Victoria Alviti dreamed of creating a foundation dedicated to the preservation of music programs in schools.

It was a dream she shared with her mother, Cranston native Sharon Alviti, just weeks before passing away at age 22 in a 2011 car accident in California.

The Victoria Alviti Music Foundation has brought that vision to fruition, connecting local students with music in a variety of ways. In September, the community is being invited to support the foundation’s work during “Music on the Green” at the Alpine Country Club.

“It’s keeping Victoria’s name alive, and her dream alive,” Sharon said. “So many people have been incredibly instrumental … It’s been a pretty amazing ride. The momentum is incredible.”

Victoria became deeply interested and involved in music at a young age. When she was a junior at Cranston High School West, Sharon moved her three daughters to California, and there Victoria’s skills truly blossomed.

As a DJ, she entertained crowds in California, Rhode Island, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. Along the way, she also did modeling and worked as a scuba instructor.

Since her daughter’s passing, Sharon said she has been moved to learn of the number of people’s lives her daughter touched. To honor that lasting legacy, the foundation has been ambitious in its goals.

One of the major ways the foundation furthers Victoria’s dream is through the Link Up program, a partnership of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The program mission is to connect the classroom with the concert hall, and while it is designed for students in grades three to five, it can also be appropriate for children of other ages. The program has hosted interactive concert experiences for students from across the state in recent years, including “The Orchestra Sings” in 2013, “The Orchestra Moves” in 2013 and “The Orchestra Rocks” this year.

Sharon said approximately 11,000 students have participated in Link Up, and the foundation’s involvement is meant to help expand access even further. Over the last two years, she said, the foundation has provided $50,000 to the orchestra toward the program.

“They’re riveted,” she said of the children who take part, noting that many send “thank you” notes – and that for many, the program is their first field trip on a bus. “They’re seeing things they never would have seen … It’s unbelievable to see the children so riveted and so engaged.”

The foundation also helps grant wishes for music teachers, helping to provide for materials, equipment or programming to enhance the music curriculum and experience for students.

“I want them to know that we’re still going, and we’re getting bigger and bigger,” Sharon said of her message to supporters and other members of the community.

“Music on the Green” will play a major role in funding the foundation’s efforts. Award-winning NBC10 journalist Alison Bologna will serve as the evening’s special guest and emcee, and a special surprise guest will perform. The gathering will include a Tuscan buffet, cash bar, raffle prizes and a silent auction.

Hundreds are expected for the event, which begins at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Alpine Country Club, located at 251 Pippin Orchard Road in Cranston. Tickets are $45, and can be purchased online at www.victoriaalviti.org. Program book sponsorships can also be secured online.

The foundation can also be reached at 374-5778. Donation checks can be mailed to Victoria Alviti Music Foundation, c/o Sharon Alviti, 14 Orchard Meadows Drive, Smithfield, RI 02917.